A Flowery Fate
by Troubled Serenity
Summary: District 11 tribute, Maya, falls in love with a man who has a promise to get her out of the games. Now they must face their growing relationship and the dangers of escaping the Capitol. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- This is the first part of a series please review and tell me what you think. Thanks- Alice**

As I stand in the midst of a crowd of fifteen year olds, in a pale yellow dress with a white ribbon holding up my copper colored ringlets, I think about what would've happened if Katniss and Peeta weren't killed by the Capitol, just five years after their double win. The Hunger Games wouldn't still be here and we still wouldn't be sacrificing children for the Capitol's entertainment. Although it has been almost twenty years since that, nothing has changed. District eleven has only one victor, Etna Notfrey, who is a good looking woman in her early thirties, but stress has aged her. There is a new escort, Fidelia Scorne, with hair that is not quite pink, but not quite red and piled high on her head. She is very short with green eyes and lips that are an unnatural shade of red. Her skin is very pale and she stands out in District eleven. Fidelia is going over the history of Panem in her thick Capitol accent. Again I zone out and think back to the night before. My father had come back to our little house, drunk and angry. I had already sent my little brothers to our neighbors to keep them safe. It was just me at home. He found me in the kitchen and struck me across the face. The force of it sends me sprawling to the ground, but I don't cry out, it would just make him hit me harder. He kicks me in a weak spot on my stomach. In extreme pain I let a small cry escape my lips. Terrified, I get up and begin to run for my life. Each step sending jolts of excruciating pain through me. If I don't find a place to hide soon enough, he'll begin to beat me even worse. He knows all of my usual ones and I'm running out of the creativity to find new ones. I turn a corner and practically run into him. I scream and begin to cry.

"Hey are you okay? You're not looking too good." Someone says, their voice pulling me out of my thoughts. I realize that I'm breathing hard, and shaking. I force myself to look over at the owner of the voice and nod.

"Maya Prentice." Fidelia chirps, pulling my name from a big glass ball. I clench my hands at my sides as the crowd splits to let me through. I walk up there slowly, willing myself not to cry. I'm pretty good at this from all the practice I've had from my father. From what I've learned; crying=no good. When I get up there I shake Fidelia's dainty hand. When she calls for volunteers, nobody speaks. I look out over the crowd and see faces of pity and sorrow, those people know how I get abused nearly every night and think that this is just one more terrible thing in my life, and crying faces, those people know me and care for me. The boy tribute is called: Levi Morgan. The boy that walks up is sixteen or seventeen with blue-black hair and very tan skin. He is much taller than me, but nearly everyone is as I'm so short. I don't know him very well, but I've seen him in the orchards in harvest time. When he comes onto the stage Fidelia talks some more and then we shake hands. We are taken into custody and shoved roughly into a building. Levi and I are pushed into neighboring rooms.

"One hour." The Peacekeeper says gruffly, slamming the door. There is a perfectly good chair a few feet away, but instead I collapse onto the shaggy carpet, barely sitting up. I have one hour to say goodbye to family and friends. The first people to come are my dad, mom, and two little brothers, Liam and Heath. My brothers come and curl up beside me, each clenching one of my hands in their tiny fists. My mother comes over to me, attempting to embrace me. I pull away in disgust.

"I don't want you near me." I growl at her. "You don't do anything to protect us from him." I nod toward my dad. "He comes home every night and beats me. If I didn't hide Liam and Heath then he'd beat them too!" I scream, now I'm standing and advancing toward them. "And what do you do? Nothing!" My mother is cowered against my father, who slaps me. Shocked, I stagger back, but I'm too furious to feel any pain.

"Don't talk to your mother that way." He growls menacingly. I glare at him.

"I wouldn't consider her a mother, since she does nothing to protect her children from you!" I retort. He probably would've slapped me again, even harder, if the Peacekeeper hadn't appeared saying our time was up. With fury in his eyes he walks out.

"Liam. Heath. Let's go." He commands. They follow him and my mother out like lost puppies. I sit down in the chair, a hand on my stinging cheek. The next person to come in is my next door neighbor, Mavis Sigmund, a sweet old lady who I normally take the boys to to hide. She comes over and hugs me tightly.

**A/N-Please review. Did you know that the youngest pope was 11 years old? :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N-If you made it this far thanks. I know it's boring, but it's going to get better I promise-Alice**

"I promise that old drunk won't lay a hand on those sweet boys." Mavis whispers. I thank her, knowing she'll keep her promise. We stay locked in an embrace until the Peacekeeper ushers her out. Before she leaves she presses something into my hand. When she's gone I open my hand and look at it. It's a necklace. Silver with some kind of tree in a circle at the end. I put it on, the necklace rests on my chest. No one else comes to visit me. Finally my hour is up and I take a short ride to the train station. There are reporters with cameras everywhere. Like me, Levi hasn't been crying. In fact, his face is as emotionless as a cinder block. We are forced to stay on the platform for several minutes as the cameras get a good look at us. Finally we board the train. I gasp, the train is so much fancier than I expected. There is thick carpet on the floor and, when the train starts moving, the speed takes my breath away. Etna shows me my room and mumbles something, but I zoned out. My room has a queen sized bed, a chestnut dresser, a chair, and a bathroom. I walk in, unable to believe it's real, and go to the bathroom. I turn a knob at the sink and water flows out. This amazes me, although the people in the Capitol are probably used to it. I spend several minutes running my hands under the streaming water. Finally I turn off the sink and go to the bed. It has a soft, fluffy comforter. With sheets light as air under it. I press my hand on the pillow and it sinks, squishy like a marshmallow. Next I open the drawers to the dresser. Inside there is an innumerable amount of clothing, but I decide to leave what I have on. Mentally exhausted I go and curl up on the bed, stroking the sheets.

"Time for supper." I hear Fidelia chirp, rapping her knuckles on the door. I must have fallen asleep. With a sigh I stand up and stretch my stiff limbs. I walk into the bathroom and look into the mirror, my own green eyes stare back. I fix my hair and splash some water on my face before going down a hall and into the dining room. Etna is seated at the head of the table, with Fidelia to her left and Levi at her right. I go and sit by Fidelia. Almost immediately some kind of soup is placed in front of me. It's creamy with an orange tint to it. I pick up a spoon and take a bite, and another, and another. It's so good. I'm pretty sure it's potato soup with some kind of cheese. I scrape the last bits out with my spoon and then I realize how dry my throat is. A tall, lofty glass of wine sits in front of me, next to it is a glass of water. I take the wine and drink a few sips. It's bitter with an odd taste. I pour some water into it, which makes it taste slightly better. I look over at Levi, who is watching me carefully.

"What?" I ask him curiously. He shakes his head and blushes a rosy red in embarrassment. The next course is herb encrusted fish with grain smothered in a brown sauce and fluffy rolls. I finish this quickly and drain my second glass of wine. While they refill my wine, I break off pieces of rolls and dip them in the remnants of the brown sauce. Within a few minutes they bring in the next course, which is more of a banquet with fruits, cheeses, little cakes, and a bunch of other things that I don't even recognize. When I feel like I'm about to burst, a giant cake is brought out. I manage to eat a slice and a half of the rich, red sponge before I feel it start to come back up. I look over at Levi, who is looking sick. As I drain my fourth glass of wine, this time I didn't even bother to pour water in it, my head is so foggy that I can't think straight.

"Maya I think you should lay off the wine for a little bit, hmm." Etna says sweetly. I resist the impulse to roll my eyes.

"Of course." I retort icily.

"Maya your dress is beautiful." Fidelia compliments.

"Well I wanted to look nice for the Capitol don't I?" I tell her menacingly, as if the whole thing were her fault. Fidelia glares at me.

"Okay I think it's time for bed." Etna says a little too cheerily, a little too loudly.

"My thoughts exactly." I say in a clear voice, standing up, a little unsteadily, and throwing my napkin onto the table. "Goodnight." I walk out of the room, oozing pride and dignity. But on the inside, I'm falling apart and the wine is not helping. When I get back to my room I slam the door, clean my teeth, brush my hair, change into some nightdress, and crawl into bed. It's amazing how long I've been able to keep it together this long. I curl up into the fetal position and begin crying. Not just crying, but all out sobbing. It took awhile for me to cry myself out. Then I fell asleep to the rocking of the train.

**A/N- Please review and tell me what you think. Did you know that they print more money every day for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Again boring I know. Please keep reading!- Kat**

"Breakfast time!" Fidelia squeals happily. I groan and sit up, my head feels as heavy as lead. I hold my head in my hands then get up and go take a bath. I scrub my hair with some sweet smelling soap, then use a different soap to wash my body. I take a deep breath and go under the water to rinse my hair. When I'm done I just lay there and relax for a few minutes. I sigh and get out the bath and dry off. Wrapping a towel around me I walk over to the dresser and pick out a white long sleeved shirt with a low v-neck neckline and a black skirt that ends just above my knee's. The necklace Mavis gave me is still around my neck and I pull my hair up in a curly pony tail, tying it with the white ribbon I had on yesterday. I'm still pulling on my shoes as I walk into the dining room.

"There she is." Etna says a little groggily.

"We've been waiting on you." Levi says a little impatiently. His voice is deep and smooth.

"Well now I'm here." I tell them all, sliding down into a seat. I'm immediately served a cup of some pulpy orange stuff.

"It's orange juice." Fidelia tells me cautiously, afraid I might snap at her. I take a sip. It's very good. Next I'm served a heaping plate of strawberries, orange slices, rolls from all over Panem, eggs, some kind of potato, bacon, a dense sweet bread drizzled with honey, ham, sausage, and milky tea. I pick up my fork and start eating. For several minutes there is no conversation, just the scraping of forks and spoons on the plates. Soon Fidelia is finished and she gets up and leaves. Now it's just me, Levi, and Etna. Levi is working on his third plate. I'm still on my second. We don't have food like this in District 11. All we have for breakfast is the bread we make from our rations, a few bites of leftover groosling, and, if we're lucky, some tea. This is just what the richer families have. Where I come from we have the crescent shaped bread with sprigs of mint on top. Sometimes, if we can afford it, we have a small amount of milk and then we go and work in the orchard from dawn till dusk. Except for Liam and Heath. They go over to Mavis's, who is too old to work, until it's time for dinner, which we don't often have. Other times I let them stay there, knowing my father will come drunk and my mother is passed out on her bed, leaving me to face the blows.

"Maya. Are you listening?" Etna asks. I look at her and know that this isn't the first time she's said my name. I blush a rosy red and shake my head.

"Well, start listening girl. This could very well be your life and death in the Arena." She reproves me. I hang my head, feigning embarrassment and disappointment.

"Now let's start over." She glares at me. "You want to make sure you are ready to face whatever is in the Arena. I know you don't know what it is, but try your best. Get away from the others as fast as possible. Find water, then find food and shelter. If you're not sure if something is safe, wait until an animal or another tribute, eats or drinks it first. Got it?" She asks. We nod. I had underestimated Etna. At first I thought she was a drunken old spinster. Now I realize that she's hard as a rock, you can see it in her eyes. It must be from years of watching tribute after tribute die. I feel a detachment from her, almost as if she's already preparing herself mentally for our deaths. I pick up my knife and fling it at her head, purposely missing her. Levi looks at me in shock. Etna is recovering from nearly dying.

"We are not going to die. Do not start thinking that we are." I growl. Now, Etna is smiling mischievously.

"At first I was. Now I'm not so sure." She says, as if to herself. "Stand up." She commands. I stand up and meet her icy brown eyes. Our glares, filled with some kind of venom, match. She walks around us. Prodding us, fixing our posture, and just plain looking at us.

Etna pokes me in my ribs, right where my father had kicked me. I wince. "Bruised several places, she can be stunning if the stylists pick out the right outfits. The boy is very handsome, the stylists can make him even more so." She mumbles to herself.

"I have a name." I snap. She raises her eyebrows as though this is news to her. "Maya."

"Pretty name." She comments. "And you?" She prods Levi in the chest.

"Levi." He tells her boldly, subtly hinting that he isn't going to be pushed around.

"Not bad." She mumbles. It grows darker in the car as we go through the tunnel that leads to the Capitol.

**A/N- Thanks for reading this much. Please review. Did you know that 80% of men would marry the same woman if they had the chance?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-Boring Boring Boring I know. Please read and review anyway.- Kat**

I stand there glaring at Etna, until we the darkness leaves, then I rush to the window to see the Capitol. Levi speeds over to see what we have only dreamed about. It's beautiful of course, but there's something off about it. Too surreal. The people aren't starving, like District 11, and people walk around freely, laughing, not scared. The colors hurt my eyes, but I can't look away. It's entrancing. Hands appear as people start waving. I hesitate to wave back, knowing that these people watch all of the tributes death and enjoy it. The thought sickens me. But I grit my teeth and feign a smile, forcing myself to look happy to be here.

The prep team circles me, examines me. All of them are surprisingly normal looking. Their only alteration is the weirdness of their hair style and color. Odin is tall with lime green and black hair that is brushed over and ends in spikes. He also wears a lot of black eye liner, making him look shocked at all times. Zena is short, shorter than me, and has flawless silver hair that ends just under her ears. She's very pale, but instead of making her look washed out, it seems to make her glow. Puck is taller than all of them with electric blue and black hair that sticks up everywhere like he's always running his hands through it and he wears a hint of blue eyeshadow on the corner of his eyes. Linnea is almost as tall as Puck and she wears her hot pink hair loose and it ends in a jagged slant across her back. She wears bright pink lipstick and her teeth are unrealistically white. I'm bathed and scrubbed down for over an hour before I'm clean enough to their satisfaction. I'm pulled out of the bath, dried off, and ignored.

"Hmmm, she's quite hairy." Zena chirps. "This is going to hurt, but we need to get rid of all of your hair." She tells me warningly. She dips a wooden stick into a pot, covering it with a mysterious substance. Then she rubs the substance, which has the consistency and color of honey, onto both of my eyebrows. Next she places a strip of cotton over them, rubbing it to make sure it sticks. I hear a count of three and then she pulls hard on the strip of cotton. I breathe in sharply, feeling the hair being ripped out from its roots. Zena does the same thing to my other eyebrow. Now both eyebrows are stinging.

"Oh were sorry." Puck trills in his Capitol accent. Despite my pain I'm almost laughing. His voice sounds so funny in the silly Capitol accent. They continue ripping my hair from it's roots from my legs, arms, and underarms, for over two hours. When their done I'm stinging, itching, and trying my best to keep back the tears. After they rub me down with lotion that soothes my now hairless skin they file and paint my nails until they are perfect ovals and the tips are white. They give me a robe to wear, but almost immediately makes me take it off so they can cover me in different smelling scents. Odin prods a bruise over my ribcage.

"What happened here?" He asks, not really sounding interested.

"I fell." I mumble. They nod, completely convinced, and then continue their non-important conversations. I tune them out and start thinking back to the night before the reaping as the prep team begins on my hair. My mother is passed out on the bed, Liam and Heath are at Mavis's, and I'm alone, trying to find a place to hide before he comes home. The front door slams and I'm in the kitchen, looking for a place to hide between the pots and pans.

"I'm home!" My father announces boisterously. He's drunk again. Not just tipsy or a little drunk, he's so drunk that tomorrow he'll remember none of this and complain about the worst hangover in his life. But I'll remember all of it.

"Oh God." I whisper, horrified. I stand up and am about to leave when he's already standing in front of me. He strikes me across the face, sending me sprawling across the floor. I don't cry out, it would just make him hit me harder. He kicks me in a weak spot on my ribs. In extreme agony I cry out. He kicks me again, harder. I'm close to screaming now. With tears streaming down my face I get up and push him over. He's so drunk that he has no sense of balance and falls to the ground. Using this to my advantage I begin to run for my life. I turn a corner and practically run into him. I scream and begin to cry harder. He grabs me and begins to shake me.

"You don't run away from your father, you useless girl!" He shouts. His face is so close to mine that I can smell the liquor on his breath. His hand flies to my face. The impact of his hand would've sent me into the opposite wall. But since he's holding me so tightly all I can do is stand there.

**A/N- thanks for reading! Please review! Did you know that only 53% of women would marry the same man again if they had the chance?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N-Thanks for reading. Okay I don't plan to update again until I reach at least 7 reviews. Thanks!- Kat**

"Oh you're so pretty now that we've removed all of the filth from you." Odin compliments. I open my eyes and try to slow my breathing. Linnea leaves to go get Ezra, who I haven't met yet, but I can assume is my stylist. When she returns there is a young man standing slightly behind her, like he doesn't want any attention brought to him. He's normal looking with shaggy blonde hair that falls over one eye and the most intense eyes I've ever seen. His eyes are violet with a glimmer of something in them. He's tall. Not as tall as Puck, who is the tallest person I've ever met, but much taller than me. Dressed in a deep green long sleeved shirt and black pants, but barefoot, he gives off a regal air, but with a hint of something odd. He dismisses the prep team who leave in a flutter of excitement. Now it's just me and Ezra. He doesn't say anything, but comes over and walks around me. I have an urge to pick up my robe and cover myself. Instead I cross my arms over my chest. He gestures to my robe and leaves. I pick it up off the floor and put it on, tying the cord around my waist as I follow him out of the room. We appear in another elegant room with a fireplace and squishy armchairs. He sits down in one of the chairs across from a glass table and gestures me to sit in the one across from him. I sit down as Ezra presses a button on the wall. An avox walks in holding a silver tray. When she sets down the tray on the table I can see what's on it. There's an elegant silver tea pitcher, two crystal glasses, a squat silver milk pitcher, a fancy silver sugar basin, two silver tea spoons, and a plate filled with fancy little cakes. I stare at it in wonder. I look up at Ezra to find his eyes trained on me.

"Would you like some tea?" He asks softly. His voice lacks a Capitol accent, but he does have an accent. It's lilting and foreign. I don't recognize it.

"That would be nice. Thank you." I whisper, my voice is rough. I clear my throat. Ezra nods and pours tea from the elegant silver pitcher into the squat crystal glasses. I watch as Ezra adds milk and sugar to his, and then begins to stir. He looks up and sees my eyes on his. I immediately drop my gaze and pour milk into my tea. I take a sip and burn my tongue, causing me to set it back down again.

"Let's talk about your outfit for the opening ceremonies, hmm." Ezra says, making it sound like he's asking me, but he's really not. I nod.

"It's customary for your district to be agriculture, so what comes into your mind when you think of it." He asks me gently. _Starving children. Harsh beatings. Pain._ The list goes on and on in my head but somehow I don't think this is what he wants to hear, especially since all of our conversations are probably being taped and listened to by President Paylor.

"Trees, orchards, food." Is what I list out loud. Ezra is nodding.

"Yes, but we, Nadia and I, don't like that. We've decided on flowers. Flowers come before the fruit, am I right." He asks me. I think it over and nod.

"The prettiest flowers come before the fruit. Who's Nadia?" I ask, regaining my voice.

"My partner, Levi's stylist." Ezra answers. I begin to wonder how Ezra is going to pull this off.

"What about my makeup and hair?" I ask him, wondering how he's going to fit that in with his theme.

"My plan is girlish, but dramatic make up. Your hair is going to be loose, seeing that it curls beautifully already, with flowers threaded through. The dress. Oh the dress is beautiful. I can't wait until you see it." He tells me, his hands fluttering through the air as he described it. Now his hands stopped and he reached over and tugged on my hair. I smile and look down, blushing softly.

"What kind of flowers?" I manage to ask.

"All kinds. Orchids, Apple Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, Tiger Lilies, Roses. The colors will combine nicely with the dress and your hair I think." He nods to himself. A question pops up in my mind.

"Why are you barefoot?" I ask him, genuinely curious.

"How did you get that bruise on your side?" He asks me. I look down again and sip at my tea.

"I'll tell you if you tell me." I tell him cheekily.

"In time." Ezra says, pouring himself more tea. I purse my lips, exasperated. "Now what's your favorite flower?" He asks. I turn my head, refusing to answer him. He laughs.

**A/N- Thanks for reading! Please review. Did you know that Coca-Cola was originally green?**


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later Ezra is adding the finishing touches to my outfit. The dress is absolutely stunning. Originally it had thin straps going over my shoulders, but Ezra cut them off and tucked the ends into the dress. Now it's strapless and shows off my shoulders. Deep reds, bright yellows, muted oranges, baby pinks are strategically placed to look like a flower, without the over-the-top floral feel. It is gathered at the waist and flows out until it touches the floor. My hair is loose and falling down my back, Its so long that it's touching my backside. Woven throughout are beautiful flowers that match the colors of the dress exactly. A wreath of flowers rests on my head. The makeup is very dramatic, but girlish, and you can recognize me. My eyes are outlined in black with an orange smoky effect with the eye shadow. My lips are a pale pink. My necklace hangs down from my neck. I'm barefoot. When I look in the mirror, I look stunning. Finally Ezra escorts me out to the bottom level of the remake center, where the 24 tributes are loaded into chariots pulled by teams of four horses. Our horses are a sandy brown. I see Levi walk towards us with Nadia. He's dressed in a shirt that matches my dress and dark green pants. Bright flowers stick out in contrast to his dark hair. On his head rests a crown of flowers. He looks over at Ezra.

"Flowers. Really?" He asks. Ezra laughs.

"Yes flowers." He answers.

"Why are you barefoot?" Levi asks Ezra curiously.

"Better get you guys in the chariot." Ezra helps me into the chariot as Levi climbs in. I see that Levi is barefooted. The anthem starts and we stand straight on the chariot. Levi grabs my hand and I don't pull away. We hold on to the others hand tightly, scared we might fall. This year there are lights placed at intervals on the path so that it is always lit, even when it goes dark. The people in the crowds are screaming our names, our districts, but I don't bother to wave or cheer or even smile. I'm too disgusted by the fact that these people will enjoy watching our deaths. I zone out for the rest of the parade. Finally we pull up to President Paylor's mansion. He rambles off his welcome speech. I try to pay attention, but my mind is whirring. Finally I give up on paying attention and just stand there, fidgeting in my dress. Levi squeezes my hand, signaling for me to hold on. I squeeze back twice. Ever so slightly, he nods. Finally his speech is done and we circle around the city circle once more before we are whisked away in the training center. I let go of Levi's hand and step off of the chariot. Etna and Fidelia take turns hugging me, I just stand there and tolerate it. When Ezra and his bare feet appear they shower him with congratulations. He's a bit nicer to them than I was, but doesn't give any response. He comes over and hugs me. I hug him back, partly because I like him better than Etna or Fidelia and partly because he seems to wound his way into my heart. Another reason would be because of his absolute genius design. I sneak a peek around to all of the other tributes and notice that some outfits were over -the-top, some were cheesy, some were just plain terrible, and some looked like they were trying too hard. There are a few good outfits, but ours are clearly the best. Ezra has managed to make the perfect balance between innocence and drama, while, with our refusing to cheer or play nice with the crowd, we gave off an air of defiance and ruthlessness . A coldness that made the crowd go bananas for us.

We ride the crystal elevator up to the eleventh floor of the training center and I go to my room. I walk in and gasp in awe. It's amazing. One whole wall is taken up by a floor-to-ceiling window. I can see all over the Capitol. I change out of my beautiful dress and into a pair of ratty grey sweatpants and a white tank top. I decide to leave on my makeup as I slowly pull the flowers out of my hair. The last thing to go is the chain of flowers on my head. I pull it off and set it gently on the bed. That's when a giant microphone catches my eye. Beside it is a menu. Curious I go over to it and whisper _tea_. Within a minute there is a crystal glass of tea, smoke curling off the top with a small basin of sugar and a squat pitcher of milk along with a silver tea spoon. I'm impressed. With a small huff of satisfaction I add a splash of milk and a few spoonfuls of sugar. As I stir it in I go and sit down in front of the window. Taking tiny sips of the hot liquid I think back to the first night dad had hit me.


	7. Chapter 7

I was twelve at the time, barely old enough for the reaping. We were about to go out to the orchard for the day. Liam and Heath were at Mavis's. My mother was already on her way to the orchard. I was just finishing my small breakfast that consisted of the seed dotted bread we make from our rations with a sprig of mint on top. My dad came out of his room, hung over from the night before. He asked me one thing. Just one. I hesitated to answer him. Then he came over and slapped me across the face. It caught me by surprise and hurt so badly. I was sent sprawling to the floor. It felt like he had branded me with a burning stick of metal. My eyes started watering and it was all I could do to stand up and leave. All day I was distracted, thinking about what I had done wrong. I thought it was my fault! Now I realize that he's a sick bastard and I didn't do anything to him. There's a knock at the door.

"Dinner time." Fidelia chirps loudly. I jump in surprise. There are tears running down my cheeks and I wipe them away.

"Coming." I rasp. Heels click against the floor as Fidelia leaves. I drink the tea in my hands, now cold, take a few breaths and go to the bathroom to wash away any trace of the tears.  
>I enter the dining room only to find Levi sitting at the table, hungrily looking at the empty glass plate in front of him. Like me, he has changed into more comfortable clothes.<p>

"Where is everyone?" I ask him curiously.

"In the other room, arguing." He tells me miserably. I roll my eyes at his fake misery, walking into the sitting room. Sure enough I spot Fidelia's magenta hair in the doorway. She's screaming something unintelligible at Etna, who's face is a bright red in anger. Out of the corner of my eye I see Ezra standing off in the corner, observing calmly. I push open the glass door slowly.

"YOU ARE NOT GOD! YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE WHO LIVES AND WHO DIES!" I hear Etna scream at Fidelia. In a huff Fidelia turns to leave, running into me. She glares at me and raises her hand to slap me but I, quickly, move out of her way. Mumbling under her breath she rushes out of the room in a frenzy. Etna straightens her long black hair before following Fidelia. Now it's just Ezra and I in the room. I'm standing there, just frozen on my feet. _Oh no. Not now. Please not now._ I think desperately as I'm plunged into a flashback of the worst day I can remember.

It's the middle of school and I'm bored out of my mind. Then there's a knock at the door. When the teacher opens it there's a young boy there. His lip is bloody and his eye is slowly bruising. The teacher starts to talk to him, but he's silent. Finally his eyes lock on me and our gaze meets. There is true fear in my eyes. He closes his eyes and nods. I scream and get up so fast out of my seat that I knock over my desk, but I don't notice as I rush out of the room. I run the two or three miles to the orchard, only to be stopped by intense heat. My worst fears are confirmed as the fire rages on in front of me. There are hands pulling at my uniform, pulling me back from the orchard fire. I ignore them and move forward further. This is where Liam and Heath play while I'm at school. Terrified out of my mind I 'm praying that they weren't there today. I turn around and face the crowd of burnt people, faces covered in ash, and crying loved ones.

"Were Liam and Heath there today?" I ask them loudly over the blazing fire. Nobody looks at me. "Were they?" I shout, nearly hysterical. Still nobody looks at me. Tears are falling freely from my eyes as I feel four little hands grab at my skirt. Their grip is weak and feeble, but better than nothing.

"Liam. Heath." I cry, hugging them to me. Liam screams in pain and I pull back, part of his skin coming stuck to my skirt.

"Oh God." I mumble, taking in their sweet faces streaked with soot, the burns up their arms and legs, most of their clothes burned away and charred in places. Then I see Liam's lack of skin on his tiny tummy.

"Maya. Maya." Ezra repeats, bringing me back to the present. Scared and shaking I collapse in a fit of tears. Ezra helps me up and hugs me. "Shh. Shh. Your okay." He whispers, petting my hair. I can't stop crying. I just can't it's impossible. After a few minutes I manage to pull myself together enough to stand up by myself, but Ezra is still holding me just in case. Finally the tears stop after a few more minutes and I wipe my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ezra asks cautiously. I nod, scared to answer in case I start crying again. I wipe away my tears and Ezra pulls some make up out of his pocket. I raise my eyebrows. "For emergency's sake." He tells me. I nod as he covers my face in a nude powder, hiding all traces of tears. He puts the makeup back in his pocket and leads me out of the sitting room and into the dining room. We are late for dinner, causing Fidelia to knit her eyebrows together in frustration. I take my seat quietly beside Levi, who is hungrily eating his soup. A silent waiter serves me a bowl of noodle soup with chunks of meat and a glass of tea. I finish my soup and start eating the soft rolls, breaking off pieces and eating them slowly. There is a tense silence around the table. The next thing to come out is a some kind of hybrid bird three times the size of the groosling we have at home. I eat the rest of the next two courses mechanically, not really tasting the rich chocolate cake, the prize prawns, or the dense sweet bread coated in a sweet strawberry glaze. I ate only because I knew that the best thing to do between now and the games was to gain some weight. When the meal was done we went into the sitting room to watch the opening ceremonies. As I sit on the couch I have to lean against Ezra for support. He doesn't object, just rubs my arm comfortingly. As we come out of the Remake center everyone gives a gasp. We are the perfect combination of inhuman beauty and hostility. Levi and I seem to glow. Not like Katniss and Peeta with their fiery costumes, but a more unearthly shine that grows brighter as we continue the parade.

"How did you?" I ask, completely surprised. I was very unaware of the glowing, simply thinking that the lights were brighter this year than the rest.

"The dress had millions of tiny little light bulbs that glowed softly. As did Levi's shirt." He whispered softly, not wanting to ruin the magic of this moment. I kissed him on the cheek, a reward for his brilliance. Then I stood up, a little unsteady on my feet, and left the sitting room. Once I got back to my room I fell on the bed and went to sleep.

I wake up to sunlight streaming in through the window. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes I get up, stretch, yawn, and scratch whatever itches before going to watch the sun rise. I've always loved how the pinks and oranges blend together to form magnificent bands of color. I get up and order tea from the big microphone and then go back and sit down in front of the window, sipping calmly. When the sun rise was over and I was done drinking my tea, I got up and dressed in the white, knitted, long sleeved shirt and black, flowing pants that had been laid out for me. There were no shoes to put on, so I slid on a pair of black socks and slid a hair band in my hair, keeping the copper curls out of my face. Then I went to the dining room for breakfast. When I got there Levi and Etna are already there eating. Off to the side was a long table with food laid out all along it. I grabbed a plate and filled it with eggs, rolls, sausages, ham, fruit, and little cake things with an orange glaze on top. I grab a seat by Levi and began eating.

"Okay today you two begin your training. You have three days to train with the other tributes. On the third day you will have a private performance for the game makers." Etna tells us between bites of toast. My stomach does a flip-flop. I realize that I'm nervous about meeting the other tributes. "Would you like me to coach you separately?" Etna asks. Levi and I shake our heads. She nods. "Okay then come meet Fidelia and I at the elevator at eleven." She gets up and leaves, leaving Levi and I alone.

"I don't know anything about you." Levi tells me gruffly.

"I don't know anything about you." I reply. He nods.

"What's your favorite color?" He asks. This takes me by surprise, which must have registered on my face because Levi is now telling me, "Well if we're going into the arena together as allies then I have to know some things about you."

I nod. "My favorite color is deep blue. You?"

"Red. Do you like music?" He asks me. A smile spreads on my face. He's hit the one thing I love more than anything.

"I adore music. Do you?" I tell him. He nods enthusiastically. We start talking and before we realize it it's eleven ten and we're late. We get up and rush to the elevator. Fidelia is there tapping her foot impatiently while Etna breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of us. The second were in the elevator Fidelia presses a button and we rush down under the earth at a dizzying speed. When the doors open I look around in amazement as someone pins a cloth square with an eleven on my back. Most of the other tributes are much bigger than me. It's like a room full of giants, even the girls! When the trainer finishes reading the rules, we spread out across the gymnasium.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Okay I know I haven't updated in a while but I'm really busy with school and stuff. Anyway please read! Thanks- Kat**

For the next two days Levi and I train with knots, camouflage, edible plants, weapons, hand to hand combat, and much more. On the third day they begin calling us for our private session with the game makers. I was going to throw knives, but I think I'm going to do something else. As the people dissipate, the room we're waiting in gets bigger. Suddenly I'm being called into the gym to show the game makers what I got. I hesitate for a second before walking over to the game makers themselves. They look surprised when I come over to them, but get up when I ask them to. The one on the end gets up.

"Are you a good fighter?" I ask him. He shakes his head and nods off toward a brawny guy near the middle of the table.

"He is." He tells me. He sits down as the brawny one stands up. I go over to him and lead him out to the center of the floor. We take our fighting positions and begin to fight. At first he goes easy on me, avoiding my jabs and kicks, occasionally blocking my moves and fighting back. But after I pinned him to the ground he started fighting back, treating me like an equal and fighting with a determination to win. We fought for over ten minutes, the fight going all over the gym. Even on top of the game makers table. Finally I pinned the game maker I was fighting on the floor, placing my foot on top of his chest, grinning triumphantly.

"Thank you for your time." I say politely as I walk out of the door, leaving the brawny gamemaker on the floor in shock. I take the elevator up to my room and somehow figure out how to play music. As I dance around happily to live, upbeat music, I forget about the coming games and my problems at home. There's a knock at my door. I open it up to reveal Ezra, Levi, Etna, Nadia, and Fidelia. Without an invitation they come in and begin dancing. I laugh at Ezra's flailing arms and Fidelia's jerky movements, as if she's never had fun. A slow song comes on. Ezra and Nadia begin dancing together in a slow waltz. Levi walks over to me and offers his hand. I take it and we begin to dance slowly. Etna and Fidelia dance together just for the heck of it. Finally another happy one comes on. We all dance for over an hour.

"We should go to dinner." Fidelia tells us. Etna nods her head enthusiastically. We all walk down to the dining room. On the way there I notice Ezra and Nadia's linked hands. I smile a little sadly._ If they're together then it will only be a matter of time before the games takes a toll on them. _I think. With a shake of my head I banish these thoughts from my mind. Everyone sits down as the first course is served.

"So how was it?" Fidelia asks carefully.

"I threw a spear and shot some arrows until they told me to leave." Levi said a little regretfully, as if he should've done more. I lay my hand on his arm comfortingly.

"And you?" Etna asks me. I blush and begin to inspect my tomato soup as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I fought a gamemaker in hand to hand combat." I mutter. There are a few gasps and someone drops their silverware. I look up a little defensively.

"Really? Which one?" Etna asks incredulously.

"Yeah. The really brawny one with all the muscles." I tell her.

"Did you win?" Levi wonders.

"Of course I did. He was still on the ground when I left." I say proudly. Fidelia looks like she's about to faint. I laugh and continue eating as if nothing had happened.

After dinner were relaxed on the fancy furniture in the sitting room, watching the training scores on the screen. Ezra has his arm around Nadia's waist as they sit together on the couch. I turn my focus back onto the screens. The girl and boy from district one pull an eight. The boy from district 2 somehow got a ten, while the girl got a 9. The boy from district 3 got a 6, the girl manages a 4. Both from district 4 got a ten. Districts 5-10 had scores in the 4-8 range. Levi's face is shown and Nadia clenches Ezra's hand. The number 9 is shown on the screen. Levi punches the air in triumph. My picture is shown and butterflies flutter in my stomach. I cover my eyes with my hands. There are shouts of joy and someone claps me on the back, probably Levi. I peek at the screen just in time to see the number 12 flash. I jump up and hug everyone. Even Fidelia! Finally I escape the cheers of congratulations and excuse myself to the haven of my bed. I slip under the covers and fall asleep with a smile on my lips.

I woke up to moonlight streaming in through my window. With a sigh I got up, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, and went to take a shower. Under the hot water my tense muscles relaxed. Muscles I didn't even know were there relaxed. I started singing.

Even when I got out I was still humming softly. There was a weak sunlight streaming through the window and an outfit was laid out on the bed. It was a simple dark blue, long sleeved, shirt that was fitted to my body and a pair of grey floofy pants. I brushed my hair into a curly ponytail and turned on the music. I dance and sang along until Fidelia called me to breakfast. With a quick peek in the mirror I hurried down to the dining room. Once there I made myself a heaping plate of various foods. Levi was eating, Ezra and Fidelia were nowhere to be seen, Fidelia was sipping at a cup of coffee, bruise like rings under her eyes. Etna is breaking off pieces of rolls and dipping them in a chocolate sauce.

"Today you will spend four hours with Fidelia and four hours with me and the rest of the day with your stylists. We will prepare you for your interview tonight. Maya you will start with me. Levi will start with Fidelia." Etna says bluntly, too tired to have any spark in her words. She stands up and leaves. Not knowing what to do I get up and follow her. She takes me to her room where we try to figure out my attitude. After an hour of trying out different ones we land on the perfect attitude. Or more like a combination of three or four. I am to be elusive, clever, mysterious, and utterly charming. For the rest of the three hours she asks me possible questions and I answer them over and and over until she's satisfied. Finally Levi walks in and sends me to Fidelia. As soon as I'm in the room she has me working on posture, manners, proper etiquette, and so many other things that have me exhausted by the time she's finished. The prep team comes and hurries me out of the room and I'm placed into Ezra's brilliant hands. He kisses my cheek in greeting and sits me in a chair as the prep team circles me. Odin clucks his tongue in disapproval.

"What are we going to do about your eyes?" Zena whines, referring to the dark circles beneath my eyes. I tune them out, and fill my head with song. Odin, Puck, Zena, and Linnea chatter on about non-important things. Such as the latest scandals, most fashionable parties, and lots of just useless little details. After around three hours they're done and they call in Ezra. It's silent for several minutes, and then Ezra lifts my chin.

"Breathtaking." He murmurs. For the first time I open my eyes and look in the mirror. I gasp. I'm breathtakingly beautiful Not a humanly beautiful, but an ethereal beauty. Two curls hang in front, framing my heart shaped face, while the rest of my hair is swept up into a really big curly bun with little black and white flowers placed throughout. A braided crown goes around my head. My makeup is minimal; my green eyes are defined and bright with the dark make up surrounding it. The eye makeup sweeps off into a sort of winged look a little further than where my eye ends. My cinnamon skin glows with a subtle sparkle. My long dark eyelashes are sparkling with glitter. My lips are kept to a cool pale pink. Ezra offers me his hand. I take it and he helps me stand. Next I strip down to my underwear and step into a dress. It is strapless. I pull it up and hold it there as Puck Linnea zips it up. This too is very fitting, drawing attention to my hourglass figure. It's an icy white tinted blue and the hem brushes the floor. The shoes themselves are black, elegant heels. Odin hands me a shawl like thing and when I spread it out, makes me look like a bird. My nails just add to the effect, painted a muted blue, tinted black. This time when Ezra offers his hand I take it and we dance slowly. The prep team cries in admiration. Zena and Linnea actually have tears streaming, unashamed, down their cheeks. Even in my heels I only come up to Ezra's chin. He kisses the top of my head and we head off to the interview room.

Once there we, the tributes, are arranged by our district. District eleven sits by the District twelve tributes, slated to go last. Levi comes and sits by me, dashing in a white suit and black tie. Then the interviews begin.

**A/N Thanks for reading! Did you know that cat urine glows under a black light?- Kat**


	9. Chapter 9

The District one boy goes first. He's average height with ice blonde hair and striking features. Dressed in a charcoal black suit and dark blue vest, he's very handsome. District one makes luxury items for the Capitol. Hence the suit. Faintly I hear Caesar Flickerman Jr. acknowledge the boy as Pen. The two chat easily until the bell dings. Pen's approach was natural. Next is his partner. She's a pretty girl in a silver dress with a low v-neckline and a skirt that hangs to the floor with a split up one side, showing her bare legs. Her red hair, instead of clashing with the silver, only made her more beautiful. No matter how much I tried to resist it, there was something mystically entrancing about her. Caesar didn't seem to be affected by her and the two flirted playfully until the bell dinged.

District two was nothing special. They were dressed to match in silver outfits. She gave smart, witty responses to his questions and he laughed at her lame attempts at humor. He was defiant in his answers, but powerful. You could feel the air of superiority he held about him. It was disgusting. I zone out, closing my tired eyes for just a second. Next Levi is shaking my shoulder telling me that we were up next. I sit up, fix my hair, and wait. Levi doesn't move his hand from shoulder. I don't want him to. Levi squeezes my shoulder nervously. I stared at him, silently urging him on. He lets go of my shoulder and walks up to Caesar. The two have kind of a comedy routine going on. Then, halfway through their time, Caesar catches my eye, but doesn't shift his gaze when I look at him. The bell rings and Levi stands up and leaves. As he sits down I stand up, shifting my eyes shyly to the floor. But all the while I notice that Caesar doesn't take his eyes off of me. It's only when I go up to shake his hand do I meet his gaze. There's something in his eyes that catches me off guard. I can't really pinpoint it. I extend his hand and, almost as if in a daze, he reaches out his. His hand is so much bigger than mine. It's warm and secure. Trustful. My slender hand is caught in his big one. When I sit down he gets up and sits down beside me. My insides get warm and fuzzy and my stomach fills itself with flutterflies at his touch. In a complete spur of the moment I decide to ignore all of Etna's training and be myself. Up close I can see how young he is. Maybe five years older than me with curly blonde hair that falls over his eyes and curls over his ears. His eyes are the most stunning green. He's tanner than most people in the Capitol, but this is not a bad thing by far. In his dark black suit he's dashing. On an impulse I reach up and brush the hair out of his eyes. At my touch his eyes close and he sighs wistfully. When his eyes open I'm caught in their gaze.

"What's your name?" He asks me softly. For a moment I can't remember and all I can focus on is the way his arm is around my waist and how close he is.

"Maya." I whisper.

"Maya. So pretty. What is your favorite thing in the Capitol so far?" He asks.

Without thinking I immediately respond, "You." He smiles. We talk comfortably with each other until the bell rings. Neither of us notice the crowd until their cheering is so loud that you can't hear yourself think.

"I'll be at your room at 1:00" He whispers in my ear. I shiver once and nod. Then I go back to my seat. As I sit down I notice that I'm shaking. Levi places his hand on my arm to calm me. I realize that Caesar is watching us with, what I think is jealousy in his eyes. I sit through the rest of the interviews and the dinner and replay of interviews after that in a daze. Finally I'm in my bed, scrubbed free of the makeup and changed into comfortable pajama shorts and a tight fitting tank top. I realize that in the morning I will be thrown into the arena. Tears begin to flow freely. I bury my face in the pillow to stifle my sobs. I lay awake crying for hours. I completely forget about Caesar coming by my room tonight. I'm sitting on the floor in the fetal position with the thick comforter wrapped around me, tears still streaming, when I feel him sit beside me. He pulls me into his lap and kisses my hair, trying to calm me down. I laid my head against his shoulder and let his heartbeat calm me.

"It's okay. You're okay. It's all going to be fine." He murmured softly. After a few minutes I quit crying and just lay there, allowing him to run his fingers through my hair. I sit up and look at him. He studies me quietly for a moment then lifts my chin with his fingers. Closing the very small gap between us I lean up and kiss him softly. He slides his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. His free hand is on the back of my neck. Suddenly it's all too much for me and I begin crying again. I pull away and he pushes me off of him. Stunned and a little bit hurt I sit there. He stretches then offers his hand to me. Hesitant I don't take it. He sees my hesitation and gives a feeble smile, then reaches down and clutches my hand. I stand up. Caesar pulls me close and whispers in my ear.

"Were going to have to be closer for this to work." He whispers softly, then kisses the edge of my jaw. I move closer to him. He slides his arms around my waist, pulling me so close that I could feel his heartbeat and feel the abs he has under his shirt. I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder. We dance slowly around the room.

"What's wrong?" He asks me quietly, seeing that I was unable to stop crying.

"I'm going into the arena tomorrow." I whisper in fear. I feel his arms tighten around me.

"No you're not. Not as long as I'm alive." He tells me resolutely.

"What are we going to do? I can't leave. There are guards everywhere." I whisper.

"How do you think I got up here?" He asks me mischievously.

"But where are we going to go?" I ask.

"District 13 of course." I gasp. There's no way we can make it there.

"When are we going to leave?" I ask.

"Right now." He tells me. I reach up and brush his blonde bangs out of his eyes. "Were probably going to have to disguise ourselves." He murmurs. I groan. "Let's start by straightening your hair, since everyone knows you for your beautiful curls." He says, taking my hand and leading me into the bathroom. He turned on a flat piece of metal that seemed to be hot only on the inside. While waiting Caesar picks up a brush and runs it through my hair, gently pulling out the knots. The flat piece of metal beeped. I jumped and Caesar laughs. He picks it up and sandwiches a strand of my hair between the two hot strips of metal. To my surprise it's stick straight when he's done. I close my eyes as he does the rest of my hair. It only takes a minute for him to finish. When he's done he gives a satisfied little sigh and slides his arms around my waist. I open my eyes and gasp. I look so different. My hair is pin straight and he curled the ends slightly. My hair is so long when it's straight. If I wanted to I could tuck the ends under myself and sit on it!

"Beautiful." He whispers, kissing my neck.

"We should cut it." I tell him. He nods and leaves me to get the scissors. When he comes back I'm sitting on a stool with my eyes clenched shut, waiting for him to finish. I feel him tug on my hair, then there's a snip. I almost cry out. He's done in a little over twenty minutes. I open my eyes and gasp. It's a little longer than shoulder length now, longer in the back than in the front. He's given me side bangs that keep falling in my face. Next we ask the closet for blue-tinted contacts. I don't know what these are, but apparently Caesar does. The closet seems to be thinking for a moment then out comes a little box. He opens them to reveal two clear discs.

"These go on your eyes." He says, handing one to me. I open my eye wide and place it on my eye, concave side in. I blink and immediately my vision in that eye blurs. He hands me the other one and I put it on.

"I can't see." I tell him, groping around the room blindly.

"You'll get used to them. Next, clothes." He says excitedly. I groan. He goes through the closet several times before picking an outfit we can agree on. There are long, dark pants, grey boots with fur on the inside, and a white, fitting, long sleeved shirt, and, finally, a plaid scarf around my neck. We decide on no makeup.

"I don't even recognize you." Caesar says.

"Good. Now it's your turn." I say mischievously. In an hour I can't recognize Caesar either. He has brown contacts in, and a hat that covers his hair, but still looks amazing on him. In an olive green sweater that shows off his well-muscled chest and black pants, he looks stunning, but unrecognizable.

"Let's go." I say. Now for the hardest part...breaking out of the Capitol.


	10. Chapter 10

I shivered slightly, unable to get used to the idea of running away from people that could kill us. We open my door and look around.

"Shit." Caesar whispers softly.

"What's wrong?" I ask, willing my voice not to shake.

"There are people awake. Someone might recognize us." He tells me. I nod grimly.

"Then it's now or never." I whisper, more to myself than him. Holding my breath, I step out into the hall. When no alarm sounds I let out the breath I had been holding. Behind me I feel Caesar lay his hand on my arm. "_The first step is always the hardest"_ I think to myself. We make it to the crystal elevator with very little danger. A few people had passed by us and I nearly passed out when they did, but no one had recognized us. Once were in I press the button that will take us to the ground floor. There is one other person in here with us. One person that can make my heart race in fear. That person is President Paylor. She straightens her starched white shirt and fixes her hair. All the while I'm about to pass out in fear that she will discover us. Finally the doors open and we are able to get out. I'm frozen to the spot, unable to move. Caesar sees my fear and slips his hand in mine, forcing me forward.

"Happy Hunger Games." President Paylor says gruffly to us.

"And a Happy Hunger games to you too, President Paylor." Caesar murmurs, faking a baritone and gravelly voice. I mumble along, sick at the thought of being discovered when we were so close.

"What's wrong with her?" The President asks, a little unkindly.

"She's having a little morning sickness." Caesar whispers to her, still faking a very deep voice. Paylor nods in understanding. I could've hit him. Finally Paylor leaves and we can follow out behind her. If Caesar weren't here to hold me up, I would've collapsed to the floor. "Almost there." He whispers in my ear. I nod weakly. Finally we are out the doors of the training center and on the street in the middle of the City Circle. We start walking, a little too quickly for my liking.

"Slow down. We're starting to attract attention." I murmur. We slow down to a normal pace. We're able to walk calmly for all of two seconds when my anxiety begins to take over.

"We won't make it out of here by nightfall. What are we going to do?" I ask him, scared. He thinks for a moment.

"I have a friend here. He is very opposed to the Hunger Games. He is also very rich. His name is Castor. He might have a hover car we can borrow, but for now he will let us stay until it is dark, when we will begin walking again." Caesar whispers quickly, urgently. It is then that I know we are close. I nod subtly. We stop in front of a very big house. Maybe four stories by the looks of it. Certainly not as big as the President's mansion. Caesar raps smartly on the door. An avox answers.

"Hello. I'm here for Castor Romonova. Is he here?" He asks politely. The avox nods and motions for us to wait a moment. She shuts the door quietly. Caesar squeezes my hand. "Stop shaking." It is only then that I notice the tremors taking over my body.

"I don't think I can." I whisper to him. He nods, understanding my anxiety and fear, but not the extent of it. The avox comes, opens the door and motions for us to follow her. We step inside and wait on the rug.

"Now who may I ask is calling on me this early in the morning?" A booming voice shouts. I look at the top of the grand staircase in front of us and fight the urge to laugh. Who I assume is Castor is in his underwear with a robe tied loosely about him. On top of his head is a sleeping cap. Completing his wonderful outfit are bedroom slippers with rabbits on them. Castor is a big man. Almost seven feet with a broad, musculur chest and biceps bigger than my head.

"May we speak in private?" Caesar asks in his normal voice.

"Depends on who you are." Castor booms, raising his eyebrows.

"Serenity." Caesar says calmly. Castor sobers and dismisses everyone from the room. He walks down the staircase very slowly. As if each foot bore the weight of lead anvils. When he reaches us, he takes Caesar's face in his massive hands and looks at him.

"It has been a long time, child." Castor says, releasing Caesar's face. "May I ask why you are here?"

"We are on the run." Caesar says simply. Castor's eyes widen, but he glances at me and sobers.

"We?" He asks. Caesar nods, pulling me closer. "Let me take you to my room where you can tell me your story while I fix your breakfast." We nod, a little relieved. Caesar and I follow Castor through a maze of twists and turns and finally into, what I believe to be, his bedroom. Castor practically pushes us onto the bed.

"Begin." He says, falling into a chair opposite us. Caesar begins from the time he saw me in the interviews and ends when we came here. The whole story, from his point of view, takes about an hour. I'm blushing furiously in some parts of it, but I'm about to burst into tears at others. At the end of his story I'm leaning against him, with his arm around me, stroking my hair, which has begun to go back to its ringlets. I look up at Castor who, surprisingly, has tears in his eyes. I un-wrap the scarf from my neck and remove the contacts in my eyes. Beside me Caesar takes off his hat and contacts. Castor rubs his eyes and looks at us, searching for something.

"You two truly love each other don't you?" He asks quietly. I look up at Caesar and nod.

"Ever since the interview." I murmur my voice thick with unshed tears.

"I can't let her go to the arena. I don't think I could bear to lose her. You probably think were insane and moving too fast to be sure of our feelings." Caesar whispers, his voice choking up on him. I clutched his hand in both of mine.

"I think that both of you are perfectly sane. You are free to stay here as long as you want. I don't advise you to leave this room though. Although my avoxes are silenced they are sneaky and will turn you in at a moment's notice. There is a bathroom complete with a tub and shower. There is a small, fully stocked kitchen and a T.V., I believe you will be fine." He said simply, standing up. "Now if you don't mind I would like to sleep. So I'll be down in the guest room if you need me."

"Oh you don't need to leave. This is your room after all. We'll be in the guest room." I told him. All Castor did was shake his head.

"No you won't. You are special guests in my home and will be sleeping in my room. Plus the mattress in the guest room is much better for my back." He said a little sheepishly. I smile feebly and nod. Castor leaves, shutting and locking the door behind him. I sit there, in shock, for a minute, taking in everything that has happened in a few short hours. Nerves frayed, I get up and pace around the room. Caesar watches me until he can't stand it anymore.

"Please sit down and calm down will you? You're making me nervous." He whispers.

"I can't. If I sit down, I'll break down and I can't break down. I've cried enough today and I don't think I should be crying anymore. I'm shaking so badly...my head...I can't...It's too hard...I just..." I tell him, trying to stay under control. Caesar gets up and goes to the bathroom. In a moment he's in front of me, trying to persuade me to take some meds.

"Take this. It will help with the anxiety." He pleads. I nod and swallow the pills in his hand. "They won't kick in for awhile." He tells me. I nod again. Caesar takes my hand and leads me to the bed. He sits down and pulls me into his lap. I rest my head in the crook of his neck and try to regulate my breathing. He rubs small circles on my back while whispering comforts into my ear.

"Cry it's okay." He tells me.

"No it's not." I say resolutely. "If I cry then I feel weak and defenseless. I am not weak. I am not defenseless. I will not be a toy in the Capitol's game." He nods and kisses the top of my head.

"I think the meds are working." He murmurs. I know he's right when fogginess sets in and clouds my thoughts. I close my heavy eyes and fall asleep, listening to the beat of his heart.


	11. Chapter 11

***A/N- Thanks for all the people who read this story. I added a bit about bells, like bell-towers, that chime when the hour reaches. I don't know if this is true or not so please don't correct me. I'm really sorry about not updating sooner but I've been immensely busy...and grounded.- Kat**

Hours later my eyes fly open when a bunch of Officials barge in through the door.

"Caesar Flickerman II you are under arrest for harboring a contender in the Games." One of them announces in a rough voice while two others pull him up from the bed and hand-cuff him. I scream at them and quickly get up. Another Official roughly pushes me back down. I begin to taste blood in my mouth. I had bitten into my cheek. Calmly standing up in the middle of the chaos I walk over and stand in front of the Official reading out the arrest. No one tries to stop me as I seem so calm and harmless. I look into his eyes which are a pale green, very wise. I spit in his face, blood and saliva splattered all over. Someone behind me holds my arms and drags me out of the room. I manage to jerk free of the man's grip and slap him hard across the face before running down the first set of stairs. I make a few twists and turns, trying to remember what turns we had taken when Castor had shown us. Finally I reach the grand staircase and rush down it's steps. Pulling open the magnificent front doors I rush out into the cold, morning in Capitol. People are already bustling about in the early morning and I run past them, pushing aside people in my way. Rude shouts are called after me but I ignore them. In a dark alley between to buildings I lean up against the cold, wet brick of one, clutching a stitch in my side. Hiding in the shadows I watch the Officials go by, cursing to themselves. Caesar is not with them. Terror races through me as I think about what they could've done to him. Someone slides their arms around me. I begin to shriek in fear, but a hand covers my mouth. They slowly pull me around to face them. Tears well up in my eyes as I think of the prospect of going to the games and about how Caesar is probably dead. I fiercely shut my eyes, refusing the Official to see my fear, my sadness...my tears.

"Oh thank heavens your safe." A familiar voice rumbles in relief. I open my eyes, almost not believing what I heard. Before me, a bruise beginning to show around on eye, was Caesar. He removes his hand from my mouth. I stand there in, what seems to be, shock. I feel the tears spill down my cheeks, but I'm too far gone to care. He pulls me into a hug. Pushed to the brink of my sanity, I scream at him not to touch me before backing against the wall. He raises his hands calmly to show that he is no danger. I sink to the ground, curled in the fetal position. Tears race down my cheeks, dripping onto my shoulders, tracing paths down my hands, which are covering my mouth as I struggle to breathe normally through my nose. Every time he comes within a few feet of me I shriek in terror and he backs away quickly. Instead of seeing Caesar I see my father, drunk and violent. I see the Officials and all their brutality and, most gut-wrenching, I'll see Liam and Heath, their tear-stained faces covered in ash and dirt, bruises forming over their eyes and on various parts of their bodies, left after my father had hit them. After half an hour or so Caesar is sitting on the dirt, propped against the opposite wall, waiting out my terror and hysteria. I'm breathing, somewhat, normally again and the tears have stopped. Now I just sit there, rocking back and forth, determined not to let the darkness of grief and terror consume me. I'm livid and ready to fight. Caesar stands up and walks over to me cautiously for the fifth hundred time. When I don't scream, wail, or flail my fists at him he sits down and wraps his arms around me. Hesitating slightly I uncurl and slide my arms around his waist, burying my head in his neck.

"There's a good girl." he coos, running his fingers through my hair. I'm furious at the Capitol and it takes all my willpower to not get up and go attack the next Capitol person I see. After a few minutes Caesar stands up. Looking up in surprise he reaches his hand down. I stare at it for a moment, as if completely unaware of what it was. Slipping my hand in his, he pulls me up. He laces his fingers through mine and we begin off towards District 13. People are out and bustling in the candy-colored Capitol. All goes well for an hour. Then, just as the bells are chiming, two men, Officials, dressed as normal people come and practically tackle us. We struggle for a little bit but eventually are standing up, dirty and bleeding with our arms pinned behind our backs, defeated before the bells even finish chiming. They lead us like prisoners back toward the Training Center. I'm put in a separate room from Caesar and a, what I believe to be, prep team walks in. Their leader is a stony faced, middle-aged man with intense stormy grey eyes. He dresses me in a long-sleeved brown shirt, black, skin-tight pants made of a weird material, knee-high combat boots, and a thick jacket that came down to my waist. The prep team pulls my hair into a messy ponytail and ties it with a hair band. Through all of this no one speaks. Finally they take me to the Training Center roof where I step onto the rope ladder of a hover car and frozen in place by an electrical force. Once they pull me inside the hover car some man injects me with a tracker, momentary pain blocking out my fury. The current releases me and I go sit on the edge of a couch, sipping at water and nibbling at fruit. The hover car dips lower, nearly throwing me onto the floor. A trap door like thing opens and two stony-faced men practically push me through it, into the arena. Noticing a nearby tree my hands dart out and catch the highest branch. The force nearly jerks my arms out of their sockets, but I don't let go, instead I let the momentum swing me violently back and forth on the branch before coming to a stop. Gingerly, I rest one foot on the branch below me, slowly adding more and more weight until my full weight is on it. When it doesn't crack I let go of the branch above. I take a moment to identify the tree I've landed in before descending any further. A tall, strong, Oak. Sighing gratefully I descend quickly for about twenty feet. Now I'm not so high and easy to spot, but not very low either. But I have a perfect view of the arena laid out before me like a map. An easy to read, very lethal map if not read right. To my right there are snow capped mountains, with steam rising from what looks like a heated pond, probably a trap. To my left there's a dense jungle swarming with all kinds of critters and deadly animals and plants. I could practically see the jungle breathing with life, waiting to kill whoever was stupid enough to wander into its arms. In front of me there was a land so barren and flat that you could see for miles on end. Occasionally there were weird, spiky, green plants scattered around. Below me was a forest, still and full of life. Except for the screams of tributes I heard. You could almost hear the forest growing. Almost. Behind me was a large body of water that seemed to stretch on forever. No end to its dark, murky depths. My best bet was the forest where I was now, but it seemed as if all the tributes had chosen this. Looking around I saw tall, strong trees with enough branches and leaves to hide me. These trees went on for about half a mile before ending where the new landscape started. I don't mean that the trees gently thinned out. I mean that they went on thick as ever until the next landscape came then they just stopped. If I could go from tree to tree then maybe I would have a chance of getting far enough away from the tributes, which seemed to be directly below me. Taking a deep breath I jumped off my branch, about sixty feet from the ground and landed on the next one ten feet away, perched delicately on my tip-toes. Letting out my breath I had been holding I tried to slow down my heartbeat. My muscles coiled and I sprung for the next tree. My judgment was a little off and I began dropping, just short of the branch I was aiming for. Hands darting out wildly for half a moment before catching a branch, five feet lower than the one I was aiming for. I reached up to catch it with my second hand and swung violently back and forth on the branch before the momentum was spent. Hauling myself onto the branch I heard the tributes come for me. I cursed under my breath and leaped for the next branch, landing silently. Without pause I gave in to the adrenaline pumping through my veins and leaped from tree to tree until the tributes were way behind me. Sometimes I'd overshoot and tip slightly. Other times I'd under-estimate the distance and end up scrabbling for purchase on the branch below the one I was aiming for. Most of the time I was exact in my measurements. I rest in the tree I was in, about forty five feet above the pine needle covered ground, letting my heartbeat slow down. Looking around at my surroundings I noticed a sparkling clear river below me. Probably poisonous, but it was better than nothing. Just as I'm about to descend I hear someone clamber up my tree. Not daring to glance down and show the tribute that I've heard them, I rely on my ears to tell me who it is. Big enough to be a Career, but not as klutzy as them. I'm about to decide on who it is when a steel grip tightens around my ankle, pulling me down...

***A/N Mwhahahaha I've left you with a cliff-hanger! Aren't I evil? :D Oh well, first person to review on this chapter will be told the plans for Maya and Caesar along with being able to ask me ten questions about the story. Second person to review gets to ask me five questions about the story and I'll answer them the best that I can. Third person to review can ask three questions about the story. Did you know that is the fear of long words? :D**


	12. Chapter 12

I jerk awake in a cold sweat and begin to cry. Oh, I had just had the absolute worst nightmare. We had been caught and I had been taken to the Games, while my poor Caesar was sent to jail.

"What's wrong love?" Caesar asked sleepily. I shake my head and continue to cry hysterically. He gathers me in his strong arms and I remember that we weren't caught, we're in Castor's room, in his bed, and the blinds are closed. "Hush now. We can't let them hear us." He whispers in my ear, brushing away my tears with frantic fingers. I nod and try to calm down as he rocks me gently, singing to me softly.

_The grass is green_

_The sky be blue_

_As the mockingjays sing_

_I'm here with you_

_Don't plan on leaving_

_Don't make me try_

_I love you too much_

_To say goodbye_

By the end of the sweet ditty I'm just sitting there quite calmly, relishing at his touch.

"You have a nice voice." I tell him softly, my voice thick with tears and sleep. He laughs gently, sounding slightly surprised at my change in temperament. A sudden emotion lurches within me and I'm unable to describe it, but I sit up and turn so that I'm facing Caesar. He searches my face for a moment, that's all he has before I kiss him full on the mouth. There's a surprised noise, but after a moment it turns to pleasure and he kisses me back forcefully. I pull off his sweater, throwing it on the floor, and push him down by his shoulders, tracing the muscles in his arm. I finger the button on his pants and he shudders, reluctantly pushing me away.

"Love we can't do that." He whispers, his voice in agony. You can clearly hear that that's all he wants to do. Lust shines in his stunning green eyes, and I can see the internal debate within him. The battle between lust and morals. I regain my senses and lay my head on his chest, embarrassed to the highest degree. He laughs and rubs my hair. "It's okay. We will someday, but not till we're married." I nod and slide off of him. He rolls over, his stomach against my back, knees tucked behind mine, arm laid over me. I stroke his hand with my fingertips and he pulls me closer to him. I bring his hand up to my lips and just barely brush his knuckles, so softly that it's merely contact, not a kiss. I close my eyes and roll over to face him, laying my forehead against his.

"Please." I whisper desperately. He kisses the end of my nose and shakes his head. I purse my lips, knowing he's right. Then I remember something I heard on the news a long time ago. Something announcing that someone important had become a marriage official. I struggled to remember the name. Finally it dawned on me. Petro Rowlanders. He's chief advisor to President Paylor and a closet rebel. He did not believe in Paylor's belief in the Hunger Games, but only stayed as her advisor to keep her from making drastic and deadly changes to the Games.

"Petro." I murmur.

"Whom?" Caesar asks, pressing his lips to the back of my neck. A shiver runs through me.

"Petro Rowlanders. The president's chief advisor….and a marriage counselor." I whisper, pausing on the last words. There's silence behind me. This can be good or very bad. I shriek as his arms wrap around me tightly and pull me on top of him. He kisses me excitedly.

"You're a genius, Maya Prentice." Caesar whispers quickly. He kisses me repeatedly. I smile and giggle. "With Petro being against the games, as he hates them with a passion, he would marry us! We'll be married within the week."

"Really?" I whisper, excited. He nods.

"Yes. Then, once we're at District 13 we'll have a real wedding. You're going to look beautiful in white" He murmurs, kissing me again. I wonder what he'll wear.

"You should wear blue. It's my favorite color." I tell him softly. He nods.

"Of course." Caesar approves. "I'll talk to Castor when we see him." He whispers. I smile and kiss him softly, holding his face in my hands. I brush the blonde curls out of his eyes with my thumbs. He slides his arms around my waist, his hands slipping up my shirt. I kiss him one last time before slipping off of him and off the bed. He groans, rolls over, and looks at me, propped up on his elbow. I'm aware that I'm barefoot, with a shirt of Castor's on and a pair of long, baggy shorts. I spread my arms out and look at Caesar with my eyebrows raised.

"And this is?" I ask in a jokingly accusatory look. Caesar scowls at the floor, unable to look at me.

"Before you accuse me of anything, you changed into that yourself. You got up and said something about being unable to stand it. You sat down on the edge of the bed and started pulling your shirt off. I managed to stop you and I found some of Castor's clothes in a drawer, handed them to you and you stumbled to the bathroom to change. You came back out, stood there like you were dizzy and fell to the floor. I had to carry you to the bed, where I realized you were asleep. Don't you remember?" He asked, hands in the air in an innocent 'I didn't do it' gesture. I shook my head. I genuinely didn't remember.

"I was sleepwalking." I told him.

"The first time I touched you, you screamed bloody murder and writhed around on the floor like you were on fire." He told me gently. I shook my head slowly, silently telling him that I didn't remember any of it. I did remember the screaming though. That happened in my nightmare. Slowly, I turned around and began walking toward the small kitchen. The tile was cold on my bare feet. I opened up the white cooling box and pulled out an apple. It was green and round, fitting into the palm of my hand with ease. I bit into it, savoring the crunch it made. It was tart, yet sweet at the same time. I leaned against the counter and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I dropped my hand, letting the apple roll out of it and onto the floor. I just sit there, maybe for hours, maybe for minutes. I truly have no idea how long it's been until Caesar walks in and sits beside me, holding two chalky white pills in his hand. I turn away, refusing the pills. He cups my chin in his hand, bringing my face over to look at him. His hair is tousled and he has the fogginess of sleep in his eyes. I glance at the apple on the floor, it's edges were brown and it looked slightly shrunken.

"How long have I been here?" I whisper, closing my eyes. Caesar looks down at my hand and laces his fingers through mine. The pressure on my chin releases and his lips are pressed against mine. I reach up with one hand to cradle his cheek, it's wet. I pull away and open my eyes to see Caesar crying. I hold him close to me as he cries, rubbing his back and singing to him softly, the same song he sang to me earlier. When he's calmed down I repeat my question.

"Twelve hours." He answered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, so I've just recently started posting again, and, although no one's reading this right now, I'm a bit rusty. Just hang with me. If I get a minor fact wrong, please correct me, but do it in a kindly manner. Or I will sic Charlie Sheen on you ^_^. Again, I do not own the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does.* - Kat.**

_Twelve hours? _That was impossible. I couldn't have been sitting here for that long.

"Help me up." I whisper, my throat dry. I clear it softly while Caesar stands up. He holds out his hand and I slip my slender one into his. He encloses his hand around mine. It's so much bigger! Almost as soon as I'm standing I fall, my legs numb and weak. Caesar catches me and slides his arm around my upper back, and I place my arm at his neck. With him supporting most of my weight, we manage to stumble the ten feet back to the bed. When I'm sitting down and steady, he proceeds to ask me if I'm okay.

"Are you thirsty?" He asks cautiously, running a hand through his hair worriedly. I catch it halfway through and place it in my lap. I shake my head, even though I'm terribly thirsty.

"Dance with me." I plead softly. He presses his lips together and I see conflict in his eyes. Finally he makes a decision.

"Not yet. Answer me first." Caesar murmurs resolutely. A little surprised I nod. He sighs and kneels before me, taking my hand and pressing it to his lips. My confused and muddled brain doesn't process what he's about to do. "Will you marry me?" He asks. It takes a moment for me to understand what he's asking—I think I'm in shock. He takes my silence as hesitation and looks away to hide his hurt.

"Oh I didn't mean to- I just- I'm in- Yes of course. I'm just a-" I start a dozen sentences before closing my mouth and nodding. I think he see's that I'm in a state of shock, for the hurt on his face dissipates. He gathers me in his arms and hugs me gently. Castor and all of his grandness bursts through the door, causing Caesar to jump from me.

"Good news my boy! I have arranged a hover car to take you and your beloved to District 13. So you don't get shot when you arrive, I have fore-warned their leader that you were arriving." Castor boomed. I looked around nervously for any prying eyes and ears. Castor _tsks _my nervous glances and tells me in a grand voice, "No one is allowed near my room. Your secrets are safe here with me."

I nod, take a deep breath and tell our latest good news to him. "Castor, that's great news. But, " I glance at Caesar, who has tears shining in his eyes, I grasp his hand. "we have some news of our own." Castor raises a fuchsia eyebrow. I hadn't noticed their odd colors before. "We're getting married." I finish. There's a moment of silence and in my head I'm counting, _1001, 1002, 1003_...then there's a very girlish squeal. Castor is jumping up and down, in a bright pink bathrobe with bunny slippers, hands to his mouth. I laugh and kiss Caesar's hand. He comes and sits beside me, our thighs just touching.

"I'll bring in Petro. He's a friend of mine." Castor mumbles to himself, walking out of the room, shutting the door and leaving us in complete darkness. Suddenly, the room is too big. I scoot over towards Caesar and curl up in his lap. He wraps his arms around me and rocks back and forth.

"It's too big." I whisper, suddenly a child. Caesar nods and just holds me, singing softly.

_it's empty in the valley of your heart  
>The sun, it rises slowly as you walk<br>Away from all the fears  
>And all the faults you've left behind <em>

_But I will hold on hope  
>And I won't let you choke<br>On the noose around your neck_

I listen to his smooth, clear voice. The last time he sang I practically jumped him. Now, I knew better. I wouldn't jump my fiance. Instead, I laid my ear against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, calm and steady.

"What's your favorite color?" I ask him softly, nervously. He thinks for a moment.

"Purple. The color of your eyes." He answers. I smile weakly, even though it's too dark for him to see it.

"Your favorite letter?" I ask again. He pauses in his rocking for half a moment, surprised at my question.

"Hmmm, let's see. Uppercase 'R'." Caesar answers gently, fingers running through my curls.

"Why?"

"Well, first it starts it's journey, next it's trapped in a circle, then it escapes. It's an interesting story with a happy ending." I feel him nod affirmatively. I've never heard anyone give that answer. Now, I was sure I loved him.

"Tell me a story." I ask him quietly. I loved stories almost as much as music, especially a good, happy one with a complex, but not overused, plot. In his silence I can picture his eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise. He starts one about this girl who loves this man so much, that she must die for him, but is unable to, valuing her own life over his. But, when her love dies a tragic death, she tries to take her own life, but is denied death because she wouldn't die for him. Now she lives her days as a lonely ghost, calling out for her lover. It's a sad story and I almost start crying at the end, but Caesar breaks off and kisses me. After several long seconds, he breaks away and slowly picks up where he left off, pausing longer between words than before.

"Keep going." I tell him, hoping he senses my double meaning. He tries to continue the story at a more normal pace, but I interrupt him again.

"No. With what you were doing." I whisper. Caesar laughs quietly, nervously, for some reason. He leans down and presses his lips to mine softly. Instead of stopping like I expected him to when we've been kissing this long, he pushes me off his lap and onto the bed. I gasp, the impact knocking the breath from me. He's over me in an instant, locking me in a fiery embrace. Caesar's hard body is pressed right against me, not that I'm complaining. He pulls away, regaining his control.

"No, please." I beg breathlessly. Moonlight leaks through the curtains and I can see agony written into his handsome face, the desire seeping into his eyes, slowly destroying his control.

"We can't." He whispers brokenly, desperately. I sit up, shaking my head, and run a hand through my curls. He traps my hand in his and brings it to his neck, then lets go. I pull him towards me, looking into his green eyes the entire time. We kiss, cautiously, but then it's like I can see his resolve break and he surrenders with a moan.

_***Ok, well I think we all knew that was going to happen eventually. That's as far as I'm going. There will be no lemony chapters as I rated this T for a reason. Anyway, if you have even bothered to read this, I'm thanking you tremendously (mentally, of course) and virtually sending you guys a Caesar of your own ;) Haha well, I know this is asking a lot, but please, review. I know how hard it is. Just, please, for me. Oh and yes, I did use **_**The Cave ****_by _Mumford and Sons. _I don't own that song.* - Kat_**


	14. Chapter 14

****Ok, if you even bother to review then please log in and review so that I can reply to it. This is going to be a really fluff-filled story. So, this'll be a nice break compared with the other story I'm working on. Oh, and if you don't like my coupling...deal with it, it's not your story. Anyways, on to happier times. I'm trying to do an update-a-day-keeps-my-brain-awake thing, so if the story seems to drag on, please tell me. Thanks!**- Kat**

When I wake up the first thing I'm aware of is how close Caesar is. The second thing, is that my clothes are thrown around various parts of the room. Then, I see his

clothes on the floor. My sleep-slowed brain puts three and three together and I figure out what happened last night. I squirm, feeling claustrophobic, and get out of bed,

taking the sheet with me. The slip and slide of the satin must have woken Caesar up because I hear his breathing change as I'm gathering my clothes from the room and

head into the bathroom.

"You might want this!" Caesar says lazily as I'm about to shut the door. In his hand he's holding my shorts. I groan and hold out my hand. He crumples them and throws

them in an arc, where they land in my awaiting hand. I shut the door with a bang, set down my clothes, and press random buttons in the shower until the water comes on

at the right temperature and pressure. I drop the sheet and step in.

A shower must have been just what I needed, because I come out wide awake and energetic. As I'm changing back into my clothes I realize how much Castor's clothes

hang on me. I look down and realize that you can count my ribs. We've been here at least a few days, but I haven't felt as hungry as I should have. I brush this thought

aside and walk out the steamy bathroom, untangling my wet hair with my fingers. Almost as soon as I'm out the door Caesar attacks me and kisses me lovingly, pushing

me against a wall. I shove him away.

"I just showered." I whine. He rolls his eyes jokingly and takes my hand.

"There's a hover car right outside for us. We can leave whenever your ready." Caesar tells me. My heart flutters in my chest.

"Okay how soon can we leave?" I ask softly, feeling a little light-headed and elated at the thought of leaving. Caesar leans in and kisses me softly.

"Tonight. We figured it'd be best if we traveled by night." He breathes. I brush his lips, not a kiss, just mere contact. I realize that all he has on is a pair of shorts, and his

ribs are prominent under my fingertips. He slips his hand under my hair and holds me close as he we kiss. The wall against my back is cold, even through the shirt, and I

shiver. Caesar slides his hands under my shirt and I pull away, laying my forehead against his.

"I'm hungry." I whisper. He laughs breathlessly, pulling me close to him, and kisses me again. I moan, loving the way his body is curved around mine, then my stomach

clenches in an all-too-familiar hunger pain. I pull away again.

"I'm serious. I'm hungry." I whine. He laughs and tugs me along to the kitchen, where he gestures to the cabinets. I giggle and open various doors until I see a

mysterious rectangular box and pull it down, staring at it.

"Those are crackers." He whisper, tucking a curl behind my ear. I raise an eyebrow. "Small, square pieces of toasted bread." I nod and open the box. A cheesy smell

assaults my nose. I pull out a hard square and bite it experimentally. It's actually pretty good. I walk back to the bed and sit down cross-legged on top. Caesar sits beside

me and we spend at least an hour slowly eating the box of cheesy crackers. When it's empty I throw the box on the floor and lay down, my head in Caesar's lap. He runs

his fingers through my hair. I close my eyes, finally relaxed for, I think, the first time in my life. Caesar's lips crash against mine and he unbuttons my shirt. He shifts and I'm

off his lap, under him instead. I smile as I hear my shirt hit the floor…..

**** I know this one's really super short, but I went to the doctor and he diagnosed me with full-blown writer's block. Sad, I know, but I promise the second I lose my writer's block I will write a super long chapter to make up for this one. He said that there's nothing I can do and there's nothing he can prescribe me. Oh well….anyway thanks for reading. Did you know that slugs have four noses? Please ****LOGIN**** and review. I know it's hard, but please, for me.** - Kat **


	15. Chapter 15

****Okay so this is my first update in weeks. It's not short. It's a decent length. Sorry for the delay. School started and I've been immensely busy. But thanks to a review from **_**LacrosseFreak100**_** I remembered my story and that I wasn't done with it. My goal is to finish this story by then end of the year. I do not own the Hunger Games series. Please review!**- Kat**

This time when I wake up I'm in a hover car. I can tell this from the shaky-yet not shaky surface under me and the nearly inaudible hum coming from the levitation. The

other thing I notice is the large pillow under the slinky red evening dress I was wearing. Thankfully my feet are barefoot and I'm able to stand without falling, as I did in

those terrible heels. When I stand up there's a reflective bit of metal to my left and no matter which angle you look at I look heavily pregnant. Not caring whether anyone

sees me I yank the ridiculous dress to above my waist and pull out the pillow. I twirl in the dress, enjoying the feeling of being dressed nicely.

"You look stunning." Caesar says. I turn around, blushing, and the skirt flares out around me. He's dressed in a blue-white silk shirt and black evening pants. I notice, with

satisfaction, that he is also barefoot.

I hold the edges of the dress out to my side, spinning in a delighted way. "Are you planning on going anywhere?" I ask. He shrugs and walks over to me, sliding his arms

around my waist. I drop the skirt and twist out from him.

"Well, at first this was just a disguise to get us out of the city. Me, a concerned husband with an unconscious, and heavily pregnant wife, you, and the hassled, worried,

brother of mine, Castor, we rushed to the hover car under the pretense of taking you to the hospital. I was scared at first that you would wake up and ruin my brilliant

plan, but you stayed asleep, thank the lord you don't snore." He said with a goofy grin on his face.

"And the clothes, "I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"We were at one of the many Hunger Games parties. One that just happened to be big enough and formal enough, with just the right amount of wine, for people to claim

that they've seen us there…or not remember; just in case people started to ask the wrong questions." He gives an exaggerated wink. For the first time I wonder if he's

had a bit much to drink.

The hover car took a hard right turn and Caesar and I tumbled to the floor. My back slammed into the side of the hover car and I fell on my stomach with a groan. The car

straightened out again and I slowly sat up. Nothing felt broken, just bruised. I take a deep, cautious, breath and feel a dull ache in the middle of my back, not a sharp

pain, just an ache. Caesar's strong arms slide around my waist again and he hauls me to my feet. At first I fall against him as vertigo hits. I shut my eyes and breathe,

willing away my dizziness. Once it's gone I stand up and brush off the dress.

"You okay?" Caesar breathes, his words slurring a bit. He smells of spirits. Against me he feels wobbly and unstable.

"Touch your nose." I tell him. Grinning, he grabs my hand and brings it to his nose. I smile and shake my head. "Touch your nose with _your _hand." He shakes his head and

kisses me sloppily. I push him away. He doesn't even look phased.

"Dear I think you've had a bit much to drink." I tell him, shaking my head.

"No, I haven't," Caesar slurs, wobbling on his feet. He collapses to the ground and I haul him back up again. I slip up under one of his arms and drag him, singing

drunkenly, to the wall where I sit him down. He pulls me down to sit by him and tries to kiss me. I push him away and laugh.

"Oh you're going to have such a terrible hangover in the morning!" I giggle. He gives a confirming, exaggerated, nod and his hair flops over his forehead. With gentle

fingers I push it back from his eyes. "I have got to get out of this dress." He gives a silly laugh and runs a finger from my waist to my neck. In response I give an

involuntary shiver.

"I know what you could do with it." He murmurs, rendered almost incomprehensible because of how tipsy he was. He smirks, and I could almost see the dirty thoughts

spin in his mind. I shake my head. "Come on. Please baby." Caesar begs, and I firmly shake my head. Next I stand up and walk away to find something to change into.

The hover car is five times the size of my house and has various hallways and rooms. After a few minutes I'm lost and roaming through, hoping to run into another living

soul.

"Maya? What are you looking for?" Someone behind me asks. I turn around slowly, scared it's someone who isn't in on our escape plan. Castor, in a black, silk tuxedo with

a dark blue vest and tie underneath. The buttons of his jacket are undone and, thankfully, he looks sober.

"Do you know how the hell Caesar got so much liquor?" I ask him angrily. Castor looks down sheepishly. I glare at him.

"Well….he might've been a bit nervous…..you know….because he hasn't properly asked you to marry him. He was going to do that tonight….with a drink or two to calm his

nerves. But you know how he is….A drink turned into three…which turned into six…..which led him to you finding him like he is." Castor stutters, looking down at his feet in

shame. I groan and take a deep breath.

"Why would he be nervous about asking me? I've already asked him…informally, but asked him." I ask, frustrated.

"He was anxious about what you would say after he explained himself to you." Caesar mumbled.

"Explained?"

"Well…Umm….He's kind of an alcoholic. That's how we met. I was his rehab counselor and our word was serenity. That's how we knew if the other was in some kind of

predicament." Castor almost whispers.

"An alcoholic? Is that it?" I ask. I've dealt with an alcoholic before, my father for example.

"Well no. See before Caesar became the interviewer he was in jail…." Castor says. So quietly that I take a few steps forward just to hear him.

"What did he do?" I ask, a side of me fearful of the answer.

"Well there was this bar-fight that was moved to the streets. This was a few Hunger Games before. And one of the guys had a knife. He was about to kill someone else in

the fight, on Caesar's side, but Caesar took the knife, managing to give himself a shallow cut across his stomach in the process, and shoved it under the ribs of the guy

who originally had the knife, and killed him. He got life-sentence but got out on a promise to be an interviewer for the Games as long as he lived. This is why he's so

scared of being caught. He didn't mean to kill him…he was just protecting his friend." Castor explained gravely. I was shocked by this.

"It doesn't change my mind. I still love him. Although I'm going to talk to him about it…once he's sober." I assure Castor. He looks immensely relieved by this. "Anyway is

there anything I can change into? This dress is very uncomfortable." Castor laughs and nods. He looks up as though he's thinking about something then makes up his

mind about it. Castor closes the space between us and traps me in a monstrous hug. After a moment I wrap my arms around him and embrace him.

"Thank you. You don't know how much he needs you. When he falls for someone, he falls hard and fast." Castor breathes into my ear. I nod.

****Thanks for reading! Please review! Oh and did you know that the symbol on the 'pound key' (#) is called an octothorpe?** - Kat**


	16. Chapter 16

****Okay this is a longer chapter compared to the last two. Please R&R!**- Kat**

I let go of Castor and he locks me in a stare, searching for something. Apparently he found it because he smiles and pats me on the shoulder, bare as the dress is

strapless, and walks away. I wait there, fidgeting slightly, and soon he comes back with a pair of shorts and what looks like one of Caesar's shirts. He hands it to me and

walks away, a bottle in his other hand.

For a while I roam around. The first door I push open is an empty bedroom. I lock the door behind me and change, walking out with the dress folded over my arm. When I

walk back to check on Caesar, he's singing some drinking song and taking drinks from a cup. Stalking over to him I yank the cup out of his hand and throw it to the floor.

Its brownish contents spill across the metal and the reek of spirits permeate the air.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Caesar shouts, his words close to unintelligible.

"Trust me. You'll thank me for that later." I assure him, throwing the dress over a chair.

"No I," He pauses and turns a sick green. Good. He reached the puking faze. This means he'll pass out soon enough, then I can shoot him up with something to sober him

up, they must have something like that on this hover car. Caesar leans to his left and vomits. I wrinkle my nose and go kneel by him, rubbing his back and pushing the hair

from his sweaty face. Once he's done he wipes his mouth on his sleeve, thoroughly ruining that shirt, and leans his head on my shoulder, breathing heavily.

"I told you that you'd thank me." I rub in, taking the cuff of my shirt and wiping it across his forehead and the back of his neck. Caesar nods weakly, still drunk enough to

think I said something else. That's okay. I'll just remind him again when I wake him up. He leans over again and pukes violently, losing the next third of his stomach

contents. I slide my arm around his waist to hold him up and rub his back slowly. Again he wipes his mouth on a clean part of his sleeve and leans against me again.

"Have I told you that I love you yet?" Caesar whispers raggedly. I think over the past two weeks—wow! Only two weeks?—and shake my head. He reaches up and

brushes my cheek with the back of his hand. "Well, for the record, I do."

"Love, you're drunk." I smile. He shrugs this off and then leans over to puke again. This time when he's done he passes out against me. I kiss his forehead and slide out

from under him, keeping my arm under his arms to keep him from collapsing to the floor. I drag him away from his pool of vomit and drop him when he becomes too heavy.

Looking at him for a moment, I brush a stray curl from his closed eyes and then leave to find Castor.

After a minute or two of searching I run into Castor, who looks slightly tipsy and holding some kind of injector in his hand. He thrusts it into my hand, pressing pills into the

other. I recognize the pills as toothbrush pills; someone from the Capitol brought them to District 11 awhile back and gave us some to sample. They clean your teeth and

mouth, keeping them that way for hours. Castor rubs my hair affectionately, officially messing up my hair for good.

"That's for Caesar. This is about the time he passes out after that much liquor." Castor tells me, his words slurring slightly. I groan, am I the only one who hasn't been

even slightly tipsy on this trip? Castor stumbles away, running into a wall, and falls into a nearby room. I shake my head, seeing that this is why I don't drink, and find my

way back to Caesar.

He's dead to the world. I even press a painful point as hard as I could and all he does is twitch and snore. With a smirk I roll up his sleeve, uncap the needle, and shoot it

into his arm, pulling it out as soon as it's empty. The affect is immediate. He sits up bolt right and breathing hard. I set the injector down, capping the needle, and rub

Caesar's arm. He looks at me, pupils taking over his eyes. You can't even see the iris, so it's just a black hole in his eyes.

"My heart," He gasps, I lean over and he presses my hand to his heart. It's racing.

"Baby, calm down, I think I just gave you too much. Come on lay back down." I coax him into lying down, his head in my lap. I run my fingers through his hair and lay my

hand over his heart. "Love, you need to breathe if you don't want to pass out." I say calmly.

"I am." He gasps. I shake my head. His pupils are still huge and he's shaking.

"Look at me. Focus on me." I tell him. Our eyes lock and after a few moments I can see the green in his eyes again and I feel his heart slow down. I smile and help him sit

up. Once he's up, leaning against me but, up, I ask him what he remembers.

"I remember you in a _great _red dress and then you left and came back with different clothes on. Then I remember puking." Caesar says shakily, closing his eyes. I fill him in

on the stuff he left out and hand him a pill. He chews and swallows quickly, sighing in relief.

"Oh dear god, "He whispers, horrified. "I promised myself, and Castor, that I'd never drink again. Not after what happened last time." He mumbles to himself. For a

moment he sits in terrified silence, and then places his head in his hands and starts sobbing, trying to keep it quiet. I wrap my arms around him and hold him close as he

sobs, murmuring to him the entire time.

Caesar looks up at me with bloodshot, puffy eyes and just a pitiful look on his face, like a lost puppy. Gently, I wipe under his eyes with the back of my hand and laid my

lips on his forehead. His hands slip around my neck, and then slide down to my shoulders, moving all the way down to my waist and back up again. Haltingly I began to

whisper what Castor told me while he sat drunkenly singing. I heard his tears begin again halfway through my story and he buries his head in my shoulder, his tears

soaking that portion of my shirt. By the time I finish I'm crying too.

"I didn't mean to." Caesar whimpers into me, a child-like fear touching his voice.

"I know baby I know." I soothe, holding him to me. He twists away from me and unbuttons his shirt. Knowing what to look for I stare at his torso, ignoring how amazing it

looks, and find what I'm looking for. A long scar snakes across his waist. You wouldn't see it unless you knew what to look for. I reach out a shaking hand and trace it

gently. He clasps my hand in both of his and holds it there.

"I didn't mean to." He whispers repeatedly.

I pull my hand free after a moment I stand up. Caesar looks up at me, his green eyes rimmed red and the lost puppy look in his face. I pull him up and lead him towards

one of the empty bedrooms I saw. Caesar immediately goes to sit on the floofey bedspread. There's a click as I lock the door. It'll be hours before we reach District 13 and

I need to hear the whole story. That handsome face of his goes back to his hands and his shoulders shake with silent sobs. I rush over to him and sit in his lap, holding

his head to my chest.

"You're okay. I'm here love." I murmur into his hair, keeping his bangs out of his face. I wipe the back of his neck with the cuff of my sleeve and it comes away wet. He's

sweltering in that shirt. "Dear let's take off that shirt hmm?" I ask gently. There's a slight nod, all he can manage as he's sobbing too hard to do anything else. Slowly, I

manage to coax him into sitting up enough for me to slide his shirt off his arms. Immediately he curls back into me.

"I need to go get a rag and ice to cool you off." I murmur, kissing his temple.

"Stay with me." Caesar begs softly, clutching me to him.

"Baby you're burning up." I tell him gently. He gives a shrug and mumbles something into my neck. I sigh and rub his back. After a minute I take his face in my hands and

bring him up to look at me. Caesar leans in and waits, giving me the choice. I close the space between us and kiss him softly. I slide my hands down to his neck and gently

push him away, there's a needy look in his eyes. Quickly, I kiss him one more time and rearrange myself so that I'm facing him, yet still in his lap.

"Tell me what happened." I whisper, running my finger over the scar on his stomach.

****Thanks for reading! I plan drama to come up soon…I just don't know what yet :P please submit suggestions by REVIEWING! Did you know that when you touch your face with your hands your subconsciously telling yourself "it's okay, you'll get through this"?** -Kat**


	17. Chapter 17

****Sorry it's been sooo long, but I've been terribly busy.* -Kat**

He whispered his story to me. At the end he wasn't crying. In fact he looked pretty calm. I heard his voice become more stable throughout, along with softer.

"That was about four years ago," Caesar finished, closing his eyes. I climbed off his lap and went to the door. I didn't think things were going to change, but his story was a bit more than I could handle at that moment. Right then I saw my father. Not Caesar. His brilliant green eyes flew open.

"Please, Maya," He said, standing up and making his way towards me, arms open. Unconsciously I backed away. There was a hurt look in his eyes and he stepped closer. I moved back.

"I-I...I'm sorry," I pushed the words out like they were full of needles and they hung in the air between us for a moment before I rushed through the door.

"Castor! Castor!" I called desperately, wanting someone who may have had advice for me, stumbling through the halls. After numerous hallways and doors I fell to the floor and cried, made dizzy by the seemingly endless maze of white halls.

"Maya what is wrong?" Castor fell out of a door and sat beside her, still a bit drunk, although there was a red mark on his arm that showed otherwise. I was crying so hard that I was hiccuping and couldn't finish a sentence.

"He-e...story...d-dad..._oh _Castor," I sobbed, hiccuping between words. I felt tentative hands on my back, as if he were showing that he were unsure what to say. Deep breaths filled my lungs and I relaxed, then tensed as a thought hit me.

"Everyone on this damn hovercar seems to have been drunk out of their minds at least once tonight. When is it my turn?" I asked, rubbing at my already red nose. Brought up around alcohol seemed to have had it's effect. Now I didn't know how to deal with things other than drinking them away. I struggled to stand, ignoring Castor's offering for help.

It didn't take long to find a bottle of whiskey hidden away in the cabinets. I smiled and pulled the brown cork stopper out with my teeth, spitting it onto the floor and raised the bottle to my lips. After silently toasting my father I gulped down a few mouthfuls of the liquid fire. Then gasped. Flames licked their way down my throat, my mind already becoming foggy. With shaking hands I lifted the bottle once more to my lips and choked down another mouthful, then gasped for air and dropped the bottle. I was aware of glass breaking and wondered, distractedly, whether I would have to pay for that. Castor walked in and sucked in a breath at the mess. I looked towards him and grinned, holding up my hands in innocence.

"Guess I've had a bit much," I told him.

"You are a messy drunk," He noted calmly, then reached under the cabinet, pulling out another bottle of alcohol, then practically inhales it he drinks it so quickly. His eyes change and fog over and he smiles sloppily, then pulls me into his arms. We dance slowly, to whatever music is in our heads. We must have different music playing as we dance in different times. I step on his toes, but he doesn't care. His hand travels up and down my back, settling at a spot just above my ass. I tangle my fingers in his hair and pull him down closer, giggling madly. He closes his eyes and brushes his lips past mine.

Caesar walks in and shouts, yanking Caesar from me. I scream drunkenly as Caesar throws a punch, his fist landing on the rough stubble of Castor's jaw, sending him to the ground.

"What were you doing?" He shouts towards me. I scream at him unintelligibly, shoving my hands at his bare chest. Castor's still form on the floor begins to move and I hear him groan.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry okay!" I scream, close to sobbing, my senses heightened by the alcohol. Caesar looks at me up and down, realizes I've been drinking, and leaves. I fall to my knees and cry.

Something sharp stabs me in the neck and I yelp. Seconds later a rush of adrenaline drives my heart crazy and I pass out, falling to the floor.

Water drips onto my nose and I brush it away. I'm stiff and everything hurts, even my teeth. I sit up and hold my head. There's a sickly alcohol smell permeating the air and I fight the urge to vomit.

"Sorry. I gave you way too much," Caesar says roughly. He's holding a wet cloth in his hand. I shrug and look at him. He looks defeated.

"What's wrong?" I ask, then wince, mentally kicking myself. I left. Then almost kissed his best friend. He hates me.

"I don't hate you. I hate myself," He says simply. I crawl over to him and lay my hand over his.

"I'm sorry," I explain. Unexpectedly he leans in and kisses me roughly. There's a siren going off in the background, ear piercingly loud.

"Shit," Caesar mumbles. I know. I kiss him one last time. We're falling.

****Please R&R. Did you know that a penny is only copper coated.** -Kat**


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